he necromantic might of the Lich King gathers in Northrend, and his assault against
the heroes of Azeroth will be unleashed on November 13, 2008, when World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King goes on sale throughout North America.
The standard edition of the expansion will be available for a suggested retail price of $39.99. A special Collector�s Edition, available for $69.99,
will contain the following bonus items:

The Art of World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, a 208-page book featuring never-before-seen images from the game.

An exclusive in-game pet: Frosty, the baby frost wyrm.

A behind-the-scenes DVD containing over an hour of developer interviews, the Wrath of the Lich King intro cinematic with director�s commentary, and more.

The official soundtrack CD, containing 21 epic tracks from the game, along with exclusive bonus tracks.

A mouse pad featuring a map of the newly opened continent of Northrend.

Two World of Warcraft Trading Card Game March of the Legion� starter decks, along with two exclusive cards available only in the Collector�s Edition.

For the first time ever, players on live realms will be able to wield the power of the death knight, World of Warcraft�s first hero class. Combining blood,
frost, and unholy runes, the death knight offers a new style of gameplay that feels fundamentally different from the other tanking and damage-dealing classes.

Champions of both the Horde and Alliance can also board warships and zeppelins bound for the wintry continent of Northrend, where the Lich King, Arthas Menethil,
gathers his horrifying army and sets plans into motion that could bring an end to all life on Azeroth. In Northrend, players will embark on dangerous quests,
explore new dungeons, and engage in epic PvP warfare with powerful siege weapons such as lumbering catapults, goblin shredders, and gnomish flying machines.
Ultimately heroes from all over Azeroth will face off against the Lich King himself.

For more information on the upcoming release of the second expansion to World of Warcraft, check out the official press release.

ow many fins are on the back of a typical fully grown murloc in the world of Warcraft? What word is tattooed across the fingers of Tychus Findlay�s left hand in the StarCraft II cinematic? What is the name of Mephisto�s daughter, the matriarch of demons, who was patched into Diablo II post launch? Believe it or not, there is an entire team at Blizzard dedicated to tracking such intricate details and making sure they are consistent from game to game. (Answers: 13, �PAIN,� and Lilith.)

All of Blizzard�s universes are supported by extensive libraries of reference art and lore material. Some of these reference pieces are created as concepts for in-game levels and characters. Some appear on game boxes or are offered to press and fan sites. And still others are used for Blizzard�s many events and licensed products. This reference material brings Blizzard�s game worlds to life by portraying the characters and environments with a level of detail that is difficult to capture through gameplay alone.

The Blizzard Insider recently spoke with Glenn Rane, art director of Blizzard�s creative development department, to gain insight into the creative infrastructure that helps support Blizzard�s evolving game universes.

Insider:Can you explain what the creative-development department is and the role they play within Blizzard?

Glenn Rane: The creative development department covers a lot of ground. We wear a lot of hats. There are artists, writers, game developers, producers, directors, historians, curators, and librarians...and we�re expanding! It�s an eclectic team, and our primary mission is simply to make sure everything that carries the Blizzard mark -- whether it�s a board game, an action figure, a set of trading cards, a novel, a comic, or a T-shirt -- meets the same standards we hold our games to. Chris Metzen, Blizzard�s senior vice president of creative development, heads up the team and provides us with our overarching vision.

Read the full interview, which also includes a discussion with featured World of Warcraft Trading Card Game artists.

wo decades have passed since the demonic lords Diablo, Mephisto, and Baal set out across the world of Sanctuary on a vicious rampage, twisting humanity to their unholy will. Yet for those who battled the Prime Evils, the memory fades slowly.

Now that Diablo III has been unveiled, the time has come to revisit the epic and bloody history of Sanctuary. Covering everything from the Dark Exile to the destruction of the Worldstone by the archangel Tyrael, this illustrated timeline will bring you up to date on the storyline of the Diablo series and set the stage for the opening act of Diablo III. The time to make a stand against the Burning Hells once again draws nigh. Prepare while you can.

ecent updates to the StarCraft II website include a biography of one of the series� legendary heroes, detailed looks at some of the most famous (and infamous) planets in the StarCraft universe, and a unit profile of the baneling, an insidious new addition to the zerg Swarm.

ere�s some new and notable content from Blizzard Entertainment�s websites:

BlizzCon 2008: The official site for BlizzCon 2008, taking place October 10 and 11, features information about contests, panels, hotels, travel, and more. This year�s BlizzCon will also be broadcast live on DIRECTV for those who are unable to attend in person.

Blizzard Authenticator: To help players avoid unauthorized account access, we've introduced the Blizzard Authenticator, a keychain token that generates a unique code that must be entered when logging in to the linked World of Warcraft account. For full details, check out the official announcement or visit the information page.

BlizzCast Episodes 4 and 5: Episodes 4 and 5 of BlizzCast take listeners deeper into the development of StarCraft II, World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, and Diablo III. Visit the official BlizzCast website to listen, or check out the transcripts of Episode 4 and Episode 5 to see all the featured artwork.

Frostmourne Fan Art Contest Winners: It wasn�t an easy task, but after going through hundreds of amazing submissions from our community, we�ve picked the winners of the Frostmourne Fan Art Contest. These pictures represent the best depictions of Arthas with his sinister blade, Frostmourne.

World of Warcraft Action Figures - Series 2
The second round of World of Warcraft action figures have secured passage with their local gryphon, bat, or manticore handlers and are now available in stores. Series 2 includes:

Series 2 can be found at Toys "R" Us stores, comic book shops, and specialty stores nationwide. Call 1�888�266�4226 to find the comic store nearest you.
Merchandise Spotlight: The Hunt for Illidan
The final battle for the fate of Outland extends to the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game (TCG). The recently released Hunt for Illidan expansion set offers new cards, new rules, and new ways to play the game. Construct your deck with powerful demons or with members of the mighty Horde or the noble Alliance. Let the hunt begin!

Visit www.wowtcg.com for the latest information on the World of Warcraft TCG and its expansions. Even if you�ve never played before, don�t worry: it�s easy to learn.

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